Springfield 62, WNEC 53
Amherst 76, Westfield State 72 (overtime)

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. â€" Junior center Erin Schwartz (Milford, CT) had a triple- double with 10 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 blocks to lead Springfield College to a 62-53 victory over Western New England College in a first round game of the Pioneer Valley Women's Hoop Classic.

Freshman guard Tara McCarthy (Bristol, RI) scored 14 points while senior forward Kacey Wunsch (Londonderry, NH) had 10 points for the Pride who improved their record to 3-1.

Sophomore guard Laura Booth (Chicopee, MA) had 15 points for the Golden Bears (1-2) while junior center Lisa Masella (Newtown, CT) had her third straight double double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.

Springfield led 41-29 before the WNEC pulled within 43-38 with 14:12 left in the game. The Pride led by as many 17 with 7:15 remaining in the game before the Golden Bears went on an 11-0 run to cut the margin to 57-51 with 2:49 remaining in the contest.

Freshman guard Christine Cotter (Stoughton, MA) drilled a three-pointer (her only points of the game) at the 2:00 minute mark to give Springfield a 60-51 advantage and WNEC caught up.

In the second game, freshman forward Matia Kostakis (Andover, MA) had 23 points and 16 rebounds while junior center Katie Latham (Wakefield, MA) contributed 12 points and 12 rebounds as Amherst College held on for a 76-70 overtime win over Westfield State College. Sophomore guard Jenny Muller (Andover, MA) added 14 points for the Jeffs (3-1).

Junior guard Meghan McCarthy (Belchertown, MA) scored 19 points as Westfield State (2-2) had four players scoring in double figures. Junior forward Amanda Chapin (Westfield, MA) had a double double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore forward Kristen Strole (Agawam, MA) had 14 points while freshman guard Kyana Zavala (Springfield, MA) had 11 points.

Westfield had a chance to win the game in regulation when with 2/10 of a second remaining McCarthy made the first free throw to tie the game at 66-66 before missing the second shot that sent the contest into overtime.

Amherst scored the first six points in the extra session before the Owls pulled within one (72-71) on a three-pointer by McCarthy with 1:04 left.

Muller's lay-up made it 74-71 with 45 seconds remaining. Zavala made one of two free throws to close the margin to 74-72 before Kostakis scored on a lay-up with seven seconds left to complete the scoring.

GOLDEN BEARS HOST THIRD ANNUAL PIONEER VALLEY WOMEN'S HOOP CLASSIC

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. â€" The Alumni Healthful Living Center at Western New England College will be the site of the third annual Pioneer Valley Women's Hoop Classic this Friday and Saturday (Dec. 3-4).

In opening round action Friday, WNEC hosts Springfield College at 6:00 p.m. followed by a game between Amherst College and Westfield State College at approximately 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, Amherst meets Springfield at 2:00 p.m. followed by the WNEC-Westfield State match-up at approximately 4:00 p.m.

Western New England College (1-1) opened its season with a 56-50 overtime win at WPI followed by a 62-59 loss against Fitchburg State in its home opener. Junior center Lisa Masella (Newtown, CT) is the Golden Bears' top player averaging 12.0 points and 14.0 rebounds a contest. Senior forward Shelley Everson (Plainville, CT) is second in scoring (9.0) and rebounding (4.5). Masella and Everson are serving as team captains. A third captain, junior guard Jessica Harrica (Morrisonville, NY) is out for the season with an injury.

Springfield (2-1) defeated host Virginia Wesleyan (66-60) and lost to St. Benedict, Minnesota (84-52) at the Tyson Tip-Off Classic. The Pride beat Western Connecticut (61-45) in its home debut. Junior forward Courtney Parvin (Brackney, PA) leads the team in scoring with a 12.7 average. Senior forward Kacey Wunsch (Londonderry, NH) is the top rebounder (10.3).

Amherst (3-1) opened its season with a second place showing at the Colby-Sawyer Tip-Off Tournament beating Albertus Magnus (72-47) and losing to host Colby-Sawyer (55-46). Amherst posted a victory over Mount Holyoke (67-51) in its first home game and defeated host Keene State in its last start (55-33). Junior Katie Latham (Wakefield, MA) is the leading scorer (11.7 avg.) while freshman forward Matia Kostakis (Andover, MA) is the top rebounder (9.5).

Westfield State (2-1) opened its season by finishing third at the Franklin & Marshall Tournament. The Owls lost to Defiance, Ohio (67-60) in the first round before defeating host F&M (70-52). Westfield State recorded an impressive road victory over Trinity (72-61) in its last start. Freshman Kyana Zavala (Springfield, MA) leads the Owls in scoring (17.0 avg.); she is coming off a 19-point performance against Trinity. Junior forward Amanda Chapin (Westfield, MA) is the squad's top rebounder (10.0).

Amherst has a perfect 4-0 record in the classic tournament format followed by Springfield and Westfield State each with 2-2 marks, and WNEC at 0-4.

2003 Results at Amherst
Friday, Dec. 5 â€" Westfield State 57, WNEC 35; Amherst 60, Springfield 59.

Saturday, Dec. 6 â€" Springfield 51, Westfield State 50; Amherst 84, WNEC 59.

2002 Results at Springfield
Friday, Dec. 6 â€" Westfield State 56, Springfield 50; Amherst 64, WNEC 43.

Saturday, Dec. 7 â€" Amherst 61, Westfield State 56; Springfield 60, WNEC 46.